The carriers plan enhanced freight services and explore potential joint venture as bilateral trade between Canada and UAE grows 14% in 2023
Emirates and Air Canada are to expand their strategic partnership out to 2032, building on the success of three years of ongoing cooperation.
The two airlines launched a strategic partnership in November 2022, but this decision to reinforce their collaboration is expected to lead to “enhanced services” for cargo shippers as well as passenger customers of the carriers.
In particular, the increased cooperation on freight operations is designed to facilitate further bi-directional cargo flow between the Americas, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
Moreover, the airlines are also exploring a potential joint venture (JV) that would focus on cargo operations “to support the efficient movement of commodities globally”.
Mark Galardo, executive vice president & chief commercial officer and president, cargo at Air Canada, declared: “Air Canada’s partnership with Emirates has been highly successful… This agreement strengthens our international strategy by supporting our daily, year-round service between Toronto and Dubai providing customers and shippers seamless connections to destinations across the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.”
Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer at Dubai-based Emirates, added: “Our strategic partnership with Air Canada has delivered exceptional results [and] this agreement strengthens our passenger and cargo capabilities.
“We recognise the vital role air connectivity plays in fostering economic growth. Since establishing our codeshare partnership in 2022, we have witnessed consistent trade expansion between the UAE and Canada.
“Through enhanced cargo cooperation, we remain committed to facilitating commerce and contributing to the continued prosperity of both economies. We believe this partnership will serve as a catalyst for strengthening our footprint in Canada and unlocking new opportunities for growth.”
Bilateral trade between Canada and the UAE grew by 14 percent between 2022 and 2023, with Canadian exports reaching a value of C$3.3bn in 2024 – a 17 percent increase over 2023.
Enhanced air links have boosted shipments out of Canada, with tonnage on Emirates aircraft up by 37% year over year.
Air Canada currently operates daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner services between Toronto and Dubai while, from Dubai, Emirates offers daily A380 services to Toronto. It also offers seven weekly B777 flights between Dubai and Montréal.
Emirates on the up
Earlier this week, Emirates announced orders for 65 additional B777-9 aircraft in a deal worth $38bn at list prices, the deal being revealed on the opening day of Dubai Airshow 2025.
This takes the airline’s total order book with Boeing to 315 widebody aircraft, comprising 270 777Xs, 10 777 freighters and 35 787s.
And earlier this month, Emirates said that extra capacity had helped the carrier increase its cargo volumes in the first half of the year, although the company also reported pressure on yields.
The airline’s cargo division transported 1.25m tonnes of cargo in the first half of the year, which represents a 4% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.
The company said the increase came as it added three new B777 freighter aircraft to its fleet, two of which were delivered in May.
Meanwhile, Air Canada’s cargo revenues were down 5.6% year on year in the third quarter of this year as a result of flight cancellations due to strikes that impacted cargo volumes.
The airline’s cargo revenues totalled C$239m for the three months ended 30 September, down from C$253m in the third quarter of 2024.
“The decline in the third quarter of 2025 was driven by lower volume of cargo largely due to the impact of over 3,200 flight cancellations due to the labour disruption,” Air Canada said.
